While there is nothing pretty about dismemberment, one body also found at El Trigal displayed the ultimate of symbol of power and wealth in ancient Peru: a grossly cone-shaped skull.

Finding conehead individuals at El Trigal—achieved by binding the skull with bandages from a young age–is a bit of a mystery, said Castro-Martinez, since it was a practice usually reserved for babies of wealthy lineage and El Trigal was a lower-class community.